Santa Clara University

Law Briefs: Faculty/Staff Update

Law center renamed in honor of new endowment

Law center volunteers help more than 1,000 clients per year.

In May, Santa Clara University School of Law announced an $800,000 gift from Professor George Alexander and his wife, Katharine Alexander to create an endowment for the Community Law Center. In recognition of the generosity of the donors, the law center will be renamed the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center.

The law center, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals residing in the Silicon Valley area in immigration, consumer rights, workers’ rights, workers’ compensation, and small business development. SCU law students, supervised by trained clinical faculty, provide the legal advice and representation. The law center helps more than 1,000 clients per year.

Dean Donald J. Polden said, “George and Katharine Alexander have performed an immense service to this community. Their significant gift invests in one of Santa Clara County’s most impressive legal services programs for low income residents and supports one of the law school’s most creative educational programs.”

Cynthia Mertens, law professor at SCU and director of the law center also expressed her appreciation. “The Alexanders have supported numerous social justice causes throughout their careers and are dedicated to improving access to legal services in Silicon Valley and instilling a life-long commitment to serve the community among law students,” she said.

In a written statement, the Alexanders wrote that they chose the center for this gift based on their belief that “in the same way that a person in a criminal case has a right to be represented by a competent attorney, so also a person with a civil problem who cannot afford legal assistance should have the opportunity to go to a competent attorney. The Community Law Center of SCU School of Law not only serves our community with such assistance, but also broadens the perceptions of the law students who handle the cases under the guidance of experienced attorneys and professors. We hope this gift to this very talented program will continue and strengthen this service, enhance community and student understanding of its need and correct legal inequities that might otherwise go unchallenged.”

George Alexander served as professor of law at Santa Clara University for 34 years and as dean of the School of Law for 15 years. Katharine Alexander practiced law for 25 years as a public defender for Santa Clara County and taught law courses for several years at San Jose State University. 

The Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, which costs nearly $1 million a year to operate, is funded through the law school, grants, and individual donations. The Alexanders’ gift will produce approximately $40,000 to $50,000 in income a year.

For more information

http://www.scu.edu/law/kgaclc/